Rienzi opens its doors at sunset. Treat yourself to an engaging short lecture, an open house tour of the collection and social time over wine and bites.

In his 1824 epic poem Don Juan, Lord Byron detailed the fashion for ornamental property that characterized Regency society. Some of the art within the Rienzi Collection stems from this period. Who were the major literary figures of the era, and how do their works illuminate the vases, miniatures and other decorative objets that the Mastersons collected? What was the "Romantic" tradition in art and literature, and in what ways do Rienzi's estate and collection characterize what Byron described as "an earthly paradise of Or-mulu"?

"An Earthly Paradise of Or-mulu" will be presented by Karen Fang, professor of English, University of Houston.